The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919 in the Palace of Versailles, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand which directly led to the outbreak of World War I. The treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. The other Central Powers on the German side of World War I signed separate treaties. Although the armistice, signed on 11 November 1918, ended the actual fighting, it took six months of Allied negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty. The treaty was registered by the Secretariat of the League of Nations on 21 October 1919.
The treaty included many provisions that affected the future of Germany. It required Germany to cede territory to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, and to demilitarize the Rhineland. Germany was also forced to pay reparations to the Allied Powers. The treaty was highly controversial in Germany, and it was one of the factors that contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
The Treaty of Versailles was a complex document, and it is impossible to do justice to it in a short answer. However, some of the key provisions of the treaty included the following:
- Germany was required to cede territory to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.
- Germany was required to demilitarize the Rhineland.
- Germany was required to pay reparations to the Allied Powers.
- Germany was required to accept responsibility for the war.
- Germany was required to reduce its military forces.
- Germany was required to sign a disarmament treaty.
- Germany was required to accept the League of Nations.
The Treaty of Versailles was a major turning point in European history. It had a profound impact on the future of Germany, and it contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The treaty is still controversial today, and it is a reminder of the devastating consequences of war.
The other options are incorrect because they are not the year in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed.